Divine Madness

namo gaura-kishoraya sakshad-vairagya- murtaye

vipralambha-rasambhode padambujaya te namah

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto Gaura-kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaja, who is renunciation personified.
He is always merged in a feeling of separation and intense love of Krishna.”

His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder-acarya of the International Society for
Krishna Consciousness, comes in a long line of spiritual teachers. While all of these masters lived extraordinary
lives, the most unconventional is probably that of Gaura- kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaja, the spiritual master of
Prabhupada’s teacher, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

Gaura-kishora Dasa Babaji appeared in the early 1830s in the village of Vagyana, Faridapura district, East
Bengal (currently Bangladesh).* The son of a merchant, young Vamshidasa (later Gaura-kishora Dasa Babaji
Maharaja) married early and lived a conventional life for more than twenty years, working as a grain broker. But
as time passed he found himself looking for something more in life, and his passion for spiritual truth increased
each year.

After his wife passed away, Vamshidasa left his business and went to Vrindavana, the land of Lord Krishna.
Here he hoped to find spiritual fulfillment under the tutelage of great religious masters. He soon found himself
studying under various self-realized souls and developing a deep appreciation for Gaudiya Vaishnava siddhanta,
or Krishna conscious philosophical truths as presented by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He gradually became
known as a prominent practitioner, for he uncompromisingly lived according to Vaishnava teachings.

After some years of intense practice, Vamshidasa approached Srila Bhagavata Dasa Babaji, one of the foremost
disciples of Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji Maharaja—the leading Krishna conscious teacher of his time—and
accepted from him the exalted initiation of Vaishnava Babaji. This initiation demanded total commitment to
high standards of renunciation and austerity, with the singular goal of developing love of God.

Excelling in this practice, Gaura-kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaja became completely renounced, residing under
trees in diverse parts of the Vrindavana landscape and depending on God alone for his sustenance.

Living in Vrindavana for some thirty years as a wandering ascetic, he left only to travel periodically to other
holy places in northern and western India. He also regularly made pilgrimage to Gaura-mandala (the area of
Navadvipa, West Bengal), where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the dual incarnation of Radha and Krishna,
exhibited His earthly manifestation some five hundred years ago. When visiting Jagannatha Puri, in Orissa,
Gaura-kishora Dasa Babaji associated with Srila Svarupa Dasa Babaji Maharaja, a renowned devotee who
exhibited symptoms of ecstatic love for Krishna. Srila Svarupa Dasa Babaji’s activities were recounted in the
autobiography of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, whom Gaura-kishora Dasa Babaji also met during his travels to
east India. He developed a deep and abiding relationship with Bhaktivinoda, whom he saw as his guru.

Spiritual Perfection
Srila Gaura-kishora Dasa Babaji became famous among the great devotees of Vrindavana and was awarded the
exalted title Bhajananandi, which refers to one who has achieved ultimate bliss and accomplishment in solitary
meditation.

While Srila Gaura-kishora clearly deserved such an honor, others at that time engaged in solitary “meditation”
merely to avoid being identified as the frauds they were. To check such deception and insincerity, great teachers
recommended the path of the Goshthyanandi: congregational chanting and preaching, or sharing one’s spiritual
life with others.

Srila Gaura-kishora spoke out strongly against pseudo-renunciants, or less qualified “Bhajananandis.” He was
entirely removed from cheating inclinations and performed his pure devotional practices alone, in a profound
mood of devotional ecstasy. His integrity was unassailable.
In 1897, when he was in his sixties, Srila Gaura-kishora moved to Navadvipa, relishing its spiritual identity with
Krishna’s holy land. In Navadvipa, as in Vrindavana, he lived by begging alms from householders. For cooking,
he collected dry wood from the roadside, and for drinking and washing, he used earthen pots discarded by
villagers near the river Ganges. To clothe himself he went to the shore of the holy river to collect and wash
discarded cloth that had been used to cover corpses at the cremation grounds. As his biographer Haridasa Dasa
says, “It was him and God. And little else.”

Srila Gaura-kishora exhibited the highest standard of devotion to God, Krishna, and because of his exemplary
character he was recognized as the greatest among the great devotees. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura,
his only disciple, has written:

Many learned and educated persons came into contact with Srila Gaura-kishora Prabhu, yet they could not realize his true
identity. This is indeed the mystic opulence of the devotees of Lord Krishna. Only they can recognize true devotion. Many
people came to consult with Srila Gaura-kishora Prabhu about their insignificant, worldly desires. He would always try to
help them, but his suggestions were usually the cause of their disappointment, for he was relentless in his attempt to get them
to go further, to transcend their attached and compromised level of existence.

Many, too, accepted the Babaji dress and acted as devotees of the Lord, but actually they were impostors, far away from
being real sadhus. Srila Gaura-kishora never accepted such a false way of life; his sincerity was apparent in itself. His loving
attitude was such that even when he obtained a very opulent offering, his renunciation predominated. He preferred a simple
life in connection with God.
Srila Gaura-kishora was equal to all. He never displayed any distaste for those persons who were inimical to him, nor did he
manifest any special affection for those very dear to him. He often said, “In this material world I am all alone in my service
to Lord Krishna. Still, I offer all respects to others—everyone is worshipable by me.”

In 1908, Srila Gaura-kishora lost his physical vision. When his eyesight started deteriorating, Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati requested him to go to Calcutta for treatment. Bhaktivinoda Thakura, too, for the same reason,
repeatedly asked him to go there. But he was uninterested. “As long as I can see Krishna in my heart of hearts, I
do not need an eye doctor.”

The Joy Of Raw Eggplant

Babaji Maharaja became renowned as the brightest gem among spiritual practitioners, but it was not always easy
to understand his actions. He sometimes wore his begging bowl as a hat, worshiped in an outhouse, and beat
with an umbrella those who wanted initiation from him. (In his humility, he could not entertain requests to be
anyone’s spiritual authority.) He often roamed about naked or with his loincloth half tied.

His behavior was considered especially unusual in Navadvipa, where many conservative priests and intellectuals
resided at the time. His state of love of God bordered on divine madness, and yet his ecstatic symptoms could be
corroborated by Vaishnava scriptures. Learned authorities were able to ascertain that his seemingly eccentric
behavior was in fact symptoms of the highest stage of love of God.

Sometimes, while in these exalted states, Babaji Maharaja found distasteful foods to be just like nectar.
Oblivious to the external world, he would offer such food to Krishna and then relish the remnants. For example,
he would eat raw rice or other grains lightly soaked in water or in Ganges mud.

One day he picked up an unripe eggplant from the market and sat down at the base of a jhao tree at Baganbari. He cut the
eggplant into pieces and dipped them into Ganges water and put a tulasi leaf on them. He offered them to his ishta-devata
[personal deity] and sang a song of offering: Bhaja Patita Uddharana, Sri Gaura Hari—“O Lord Caitanya, please accept the
worship of this fallen soul.” He then said to his Deity, “I don’t know the right method of cooking this, but please eat a little
of this food.”
As soon as he said this, his voice became choked, and his body turned bright red and began to swell, while tears flowed from
his eyes in streams, soaking his face and chest. Seeing these signs of love, Lalita-didi [a close friend] was amazed. When the
transcendental emotions subsided nearly an hour later, he again sang a song. Putting his deity to sleep, he ate the unripe
eggplant. His face showed expressions of great pleasure and happiness, more intense than one would make if tasting
panchamrita [a sweet drink, considered a delicacy].”

—From Sri Sri Gaudiya Vaishnava Jivana, by Haridasa Dasa

Srila Gaura-kishora would dance along the roadside, calling out, “Jaya Radhe!” (“All glories to Radha,
Krishna’s beloved.”), and the local people would think he was mad. The religious experts knew better, though.
Little boys would run along behind him, and he would play with them. When he saw a boy who had a dark
complexion, he would think of him as Krishna, and a light-skinned boy would become Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu.

He often fell into trances, madly calling out the names of Krishna with great love. Once, he shouted, “Ha
Krishna Chaitanya! Ha Krishna Chaitanya!” over and over. Vaishnavas in the vicinity heard him screaming
these words hour after hour. They thought that unless they could change his mood, or otherwise stop him from
shouting these divine names, he would hurt himself—his throat would become torn and bloody. Several of the
assembled devotees shouted names of God that reflected other aspects of His divine nature. This distracted Srila
Gaura-kishora, changing his spiritual mood, and his screaming subsided.

At times Babaji Maharaja would worship with Bhaktivinoda Thakura at the birthplace of Lord Chaitanya, which
had recently been discovered by Bhaktivinoda and restored with images of Lord Chaitanya and his wife
Vishnupriya. The two unparalleled devotees would sing and dance before these deities, and their bodies would
undergo the eight sattvika bhavas, or the ecstatic symptoms outlined in scripture that appear only in the most
accomplished devotees.

A Word Of Caution
Like Krishna’s gopis (cowherd girlfriends) and other supremely advanced devotees, Srila Gaura-kishora had
inborn devotional love, and its spontaneous nature was shown in his ashastriya behavior—behavior that goes
beyond scriptures or ordinary conventions. In his own life, he disregarded many Vaishnava rules about purity
and proper worship techniques. And yet he strongly recommended pure behavior and standard techniques for
others. How might this be understood?

Srila Gaura-kishora was clearly not ordinary. For most people, standard religious rules and regulations serve a
purpose, gradually bringing one to transcendence and heartfelt spontaneity. At this point, one can rise beyond
conventions and the constrictions of neophyte practice. But unless one is totally absorbed in the Absolute—and
this is exceedingly rare—one must assume that one’s own spiritual level is still wanting, only to be enhanced by
the instructions of a self-realized soul and by constant practice.

Srila Gaura-kishora constantly meditated on Radha and Krishna in the mood of divine love, and this of course is
what distinguished him from ordinary souls. Consequently, while Srila Gaura-kishora should most definitely be
appreciated, he should not be emulated. Unless one is on a spiritually advanced platform, one should not attempt
to act like Babaji Maharaja. Unless one reaches his level of spiritual absorption, one should not reach for an
unripe eggplant. Srila Prabhupada writes in Sri Caitanya-caritamrita (Madhya 7.29): “There are many instances
of devotional service rendered by previous acharyas who did not care about social behavior when intensely
absorbed in love for Krishna. Unfortunately, as long as we are within this material world, we must observe
social customs to avoid criticism by the general populace. This is Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s desire.”

Vaishnava tradition asserts that practitioners should follow the example of Srila Gaura-kishora Dasa Babaji’s
essential Krishna consciousness and not the particulars of his approach. In other words, he should be followed
but not imitated. The distinction between following and imitating is brought out by Srila Rupa Gosvami, who
uses the Sanskrit terms anukarini (“one who imitates”) and anusharini (“one who follows”). In Bhakti-rasamrita-
sindhu (1.2.294-296) he asks practitioners to follow the essential example of the great souls and not imitate their
external behavior. This instruction certainly applies to how we should respond to the behavior of Babaji
Maharaja.

The Final Instruction

One day at sunrise, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta left Navadvipa for the nearby mud hut where Srila Gaura-kishora was
staying. He knew that his master would soon depart. That day, November 16, 1915, Srila Gaura-kishora entered
the eternal pastimes of the Lord.

The head priests of Navadvipa’s temples and ashrams argued among themselves about where Srila Gaura-
kishora’s remains would be interred. There was an ulterior motive behind the dispute: the contending parties felt
that establishing Srila Gaura-kishora’s tomb at their particular ashram or temple would popularize it and thus
put them in a position to earn considerable money from tourists. But Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, Gaura-kishora Dasa
Babaji’s only disciple, opposed their illegitimate attempts, and in his outspoken way, exposed their materialistic
intentions.

Still, they challenged him in a public debate, claiming that they were advanced sannyasis while Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati was still only a young man. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta replied in a voice like thunder:

I am the sole disciple of Paramahamsa Babaji Maharaja. Even though I have not yet accepted sannyasa, I am a celibate
brahmacari, and by the grace of Babaji Maharaja I am not a hypocritical renunciant secretly addicted to abominable habits,
as most of you are.

If there is someone here who is a renunciant of truly stainless character, then he can come forward and arrange for the much
desired tomb. I have no objection to that. Anyone who within the last one year, or six months, three months, one month, or
even three days has not indulged in illicit association with the opposite sex will be able to touch this spiritually blissful body.
If anyone else touches it, he will be cursed forever.

—From Babaji Maharaja, by Karnamrita Dasa Adhikari

The police commissioner had come to the debate expecting a riot. When he heard Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s
words, he asked, “How will the evidence for this be produced?”

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta replied, “I will take them at their word.”

Sensing Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s seriousness and strength of purpose, the pseudo spiritualists backed off.
One by one they slowly turned and walked away in defeat. The police commissioner was dumbfounded.

On the following day, November 17, 1915, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati laid the body of his guru to rest on a
newly formed sandbar of the Ganges at Kuliya-gram. The spot was near a place where Srila Gaura-kishora
loved to chant the names of Krishna. Srila Gaura-kishora had reached the highest levels of love of God, and his
disciple, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, vowed to give his disciples that same love.